


Give Me Twenty Seconds

by WritingToKeepMySanity



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: (and sister), Al and El are morons, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Are we really surprised?, College, Coming Out, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Gen, Jack is hella nervous it's kinda hilarious, Lots of it, M/M, New Year's Kiss, Sarah is a good Bro, Spot doesn't do "feelings", this is probably nothing but it was fun to write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-28 16:51:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14453619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritingToKeepMySanity/pseuds/WritingToKeepMySanity
Summary: "Sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage. Literally, 20 seconds of embarrassing bravery. And, I promise, something great will come of it."





	Give Me Twenty Seconds

Kath was the brave one, Jack had known that since the beginning. 

She'd been the one to give him her number in the ER Christmas Eve, she'd been the one who actually asked him out while he was still trying to figure out the meaning behind her seemingly flirty texts.

Six days of knowing each other, and she'd made all the first moves.

Which wasn't a  _problem_ , or anythin', for Jack, he just didn't understand how this girl unnerved him so much.

Davey and Crutchie used to tease him about bein' good with girls, but sometimes bein' with Katherine made him feel like a twelve-year-old kid again, flustered because Lily Reagan dragged him behind the school and kissed him.

Ten years later, and he was still being undone by a pair of pretty brown eyes. 

Jack watched her from across the room at the New Year's Eve party she'd invited him to, one that her friend Darcy was throwing at his house on Montauk, stifling a yawn. He'd put off taking the painkillers he'd gotten at the hospital as long as he could, so he would have a chance of makin' it to midnight, but, now, as it was getting later, he was feeling the tug of drowsiness.

But he was stayin' alert, had to, because at midnight—well, at midnight...

He wasn't sure what they were,  _if_ they were anythin', but—

"Ten!"

Jack jerked at the sudden cry an' flood of people into the main room. He hadn't even realized it was already almost midnight.

"Nine!"

_Where's Kath?_

"Eight!"

Suddenly, she materialized next to him, her purple dress swishing as she moved. Smiling up at him, Katherine slipped her arm through his, joining in the countdown.

"Seven!"

Would she  _want_ him to kiss her?

"Six!"

Something like anxiety and adrenaline twisted in his stomach—wait, had he eaten somethin' when he took those painkillers? That was somethin' the doc told him to look out for—

"Five!"

His arm felt sweaty under the cast, and he hoped his hand didn't feel as clammy.

"Four!"

Deciding to risk it, Jack slid his hand down her arm to link their fingers.

"Three!"

Katherine looked down at their hands, then up at him, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"Two!"

 _Screw it_.

" _One! Happy New Years!_ "

Tugging slightly—and gently, as it was the wrist she'd sprained just a week ago—Jack bent his head and kissed her as a cheer went up around them, noise makers were blown, and the crowd jostled them as people started hugging and embracing one another.

And Katherine  _kissed him back_. 

Happy New Year's, indeed.

 

*~*~*~*~*

 

Davey wasn't sure what made him want to talk about it.

He'd come around to the idea about a year ago, but he still hadn't told anyone, not sure how it would be received. 

It was... unnatural to not feel sexually attracted to anyone in a society where a man's status was practically made by the number of women he'd slept with, when losing your "V-Card" was a badge of honor. It wasn't right.  _He_ wasn't right.

At least, that's what he'd thought. It'd taken over a year, but after careful research and finding stories about people like him, Davey realized. 

It wasn't unnatural, it wasn't wrong. 

Just him. 

But that didn't make it any less terrifying, thinking about actually  _telling_ someone. 

So it didn't really stand to reason that Davey wanted to say something to Sarah. 

They were in her apartment, deciding where they should order dinner from, and his sister was going on about some girl in her dance class, and Davey just... wanted to let her know. 

Emotions churned in his stomach as he considered that, the thought of someone knowing, the thought of his  _family_ knowing. Dave'd been around when Race came out to his family, knew how quickly  _that_ had backfired on him. It was apple and oranges, comparing his and Racer's situations, but... still. 

"... and then for twenty bucks I ate a pound of bacon... Davey?"

"Hm?" Davey looked up at his name. Sarah was looking at him expectantly. "Yeah, sounds good. Whatever you order's fine."

Sarah snorted. "What's on your mind, there, David? You seem distracted. I make a joke about eating bacon and you don't even bat an eye."

Davey shook his head, the feelings in his stomach fizzing and foaming like a soda that had been shaken and opened too quickly. "Just... distracted."

"Want to talk about it—?"

"I'm ace." The words bubbled up out of him, the emotions forcing their way up his throat in a lapse of sanity, or a surge of courage, he wasn't sure. Sarah just looked at him, and more words tumbled out. "Ace, uhm, asexual. It—it means I'm not, you know, attracted—"

"No, no, I know what it means," Sarah waved a hand, picking up her phone. "You said 'ace' and it reminded me, Katherine invited us over for dinner next week. We're in charge of sides, Jack specifically asked for Mama's potato salad, and—"

"Wait." Sarah stopped, looking up from her phone, and Davey rubbed his head with his hand. _What just happened?_  "I tell you something like that, and you just... move on? Make dinner plans? Like nothing's different?"

Sarah looked mildly confused. "Are you still my brother?"

"Well... yeah."

"Are you still Jewish?"

"Wh— _Sarah_. Of course."

"Then nothing's changed,  _meshuggneh_." Sarah said with a shrug. "It's not a big deal unless you want it to be."

Davey blinked hard, an uncomfortable stinging at the back of his eyes, blurring his vision slightly. Instead of answering, he moved to wrap his arms around her, bending his head so it rested on her shoulder, despite him being a good six inches taller than her. Softly, he said, "Thank you, Sarah."

Sarah smoothed a hand down his back. "Of course. And, really. It doesn't change anything, Davey." He nodded against her shoulder. "Just listen to your older—"

Dave groaned, the spell broken. "You're only ten minutes older than me, Sarah," he said, letting go of her.

"—wiser, incredibly beautiful sister and order food because I'm starving."

 

*~*~*~*~*

 

Spot was in love with his best friend.

There. He admitted it.

He didn't know why he wasn't doin' anything about it—wasn't like he didn't know Racer was gay, or that he was worried 'bout what people would say about him datin' a guy.

But he  _was_ scared. 

Scared of losin' his best friend 'cause'a his  _feelings_. Scared ta make himself vulnerable like that. 

Scared Race might say no.

Spot Conlon didn't do "scared" well, turned out.

He turned it inward, and got sullen an' moody—which wasn't too much different than he normally was, apparently, an' no one said anything about it.

'Cept Race, of course. 

"So what's with ya?" Race asked him on their way back to their dorm from the parking lot.

"Whaddaya talkin' 'bout?" 

Race gave him a disbelieving look. "You've been actin' weird f'r, like... a week, now, Spotty, what's goin' on?"

Spot shook his head, his hands curling into fists in his coat pockets. He wasn't gonna do this  _here_ , in the middle of the quad when it was maybe thirty degrees out. He wasn't even sure he was going to do it period. "S'nothin', Racer."

Checking him with his hip, Race wheedled, "C'mon, Spot..."

"Drop it, Tony." Spot's voice came out harder than he meant. 

Race's eyebrows shot up. "Ya never use my first name,  _Sean_ ," he spat out Spot's first name. "That just tells me somethin's wrong. Now you c'n tell me what it is, or I'll keep guessin' 'till ya tell me outta annoyance."

"Race—"

"Is it a professor?"

"No."

"Ya car?"

"Racer..."

"Oooh! Is it a  _girl_ —"

" _No._ " Spot stopped Race with a hand to his chest. Race raised an eyebrow in challenge.

He wasn't sure what came over him, but, suddenly, Spot wasn't scared anymore. Fisting the material of Race's hoodie in both hands, Spot pulled him down to his height, crashing his lips to Race's, kissing him hard.

Race flailed his arms a moment, seemingly confused at first, before his hands settled in Spot's hair, kissing him back. Distantly, Spot heard what sounded like Jack or Albert or... he didn't care, really, whoopin' in the background. He didn't care, just pulled Race closer, letting go of his hoodie with one hand to wrap his arm around the taller boy's waist.

A piercing whistle broke them apart, turning to find Katherine, who was laughing and looking extremely proud of herself, and Jack and Crutchie who were still yelling something Spot couldn't hear of the blood rushing in his ears. 

Choosing to ignore their friends for the time being, Spot chased his newfound—courage? whatever the hell it was—and turned back to Race. "So, uh. Wanna go out sometime?"

Race just laughed and kissed him again.

 

*~*~*~*~*

 

"I dunno 'bout this—"

"What's not to be sure 'bout?"

"Elmer, it's never been done..."

"That's what makes this so great! Ya'll be the first, Bertie!"

"I could be the  _first_ ta die."

" _C'mon_ , are ya a wimp or a DaSilva?"

"That don't even make sense, El."

"C'mon, Al. You can do it," Elmer encouraged, clapping his shoulder. "Ya'll be immortal."

Albert swallowed hard, nodding. "Alright. Let's do this."

Elmer let out a whoop and, moving to stand in front of Albert, straightened his helmet before gripping his shoulders. "Godspeed, my child."

Knocking his hands away, Albert rolled his shoulders. "Shove off 'fore I change my mind."

The cleaning crew had waxed the floor of the lobby of the hotel they were staying in just an hour ago, and Albert was going to slide from the from the front door to the elevators in just his socks.

Backing up a couple of feet, Albert looked at Elmer, who looked  _way_ too excited. "If I die, it's your fault."

"If you die, can I have your cool leg warmers?" Elmer asked with a cheeky smirk.

"Screw you, Kasprzak." And he took off, sliding across the tiled floor in his socks. It took him a second to keep his balance, but he steadied quickly, gliding across the lobby like he was on ice. A grin split his face as he heard Elmer let out another whoop behind him.

Then the elevator dinged and the doors slid open, revealing Race, whose eyes widened at Albert barreling towards him.

"Shit, shit,  _shit, I can't stop_!" Albert said, desperately windmilling his arms.

Elmer covered his face.

Race didn't even have time to react, and Albert crashed into him, the doors sliding shut behind them.

Peeking between his fingers, Elmer slowly uncovered his face. "Oh, he's gonna kill me..."

The elevator doors opened again.

"KASPRZAK!"

**Author's Note:**

> I had a Very Not Great Day yesterday, so I wrote fluff to make me feel better. I hope it does the same for you :D
> 
> sidenote: some of you may recognize Albert and Elmer's shenanigans from Brooklyn 99, the "Full Bullpen", which was arguably my favorite cold open until they hit us with the lineup singing "I Want It That Way" which was AMAZING, but I digress...
> 
> come say hi on tumblr! @ wordshakerofgallifrey
> 
> Comments, concerns, and critiques welcome. Peace, love, and sanity!


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